worldsoldestpeoplefandomcom-20200214-history
Elizabeth Bolden
Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bolden (née Jones) (August 15, 1890 – December 11, 2006) was an American supercentenarian woman who, at the time of her death at age 116 years and 118 days, was recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest living person. She was the last remaining documented person born in 1890, and is one of only seven people in history who have undisputedly lived to 116 years of age. Biography Elizabeth Jones was born in 1890 in Somerville, Tennessee, the daughter of freed slaves. Bolden married Lewis Bolden circa 1908, and their first child, a son, Ezell, was born on September 21, 1909. She had seven children in total, only two of whom were still alive as of her death in 2006: Esther Rhodes, 89, and Mamie Brittmon, 86. At the time of her 116th birthday in August 2006, Bolden had 40 grandchildren, 75 great-grandchildren, 150 great-great-grandchildren, 220 great-great-great grandchildren and 75 great-great-great-great-grandchildren.1 In her final years she resided in a Memphis, Tennessee nursing home, and was described by her family as unable to communicate, and they thus requested that media attention (such as interviews and visits) be limited. During her reign as world's oldest person titleholder, Bolden was rarely seen in public. She was photographed for two different books in early 2005, and was featured in Jet magazine in May 2005 and the Memphis Commercial Appeal in June 2005. For her 116th birthday, new photographs were released for the first time in almost a year, and her family said that she was looking forward to her big day.1 Age records Elizabeth Bolden was verified in April 2005 as being the oldest documented resident of the United States since the death of Emma Verona Johnston the previous December. She displaced Bettie Wilson, who had previously been the oldest known American. Bolden regained the oldest living person title following the August 27, 2006 death of María Capovilla.2 This was officially confirmed on September 17, 2006 by Guinness World Records. She had previously held the title from the August 30, 2005 death of Hendrikje van Andel. On December 9, 2005, Capovilla was announced as authenticated older. Bolden became only the second person to hold the title twice, the first one being world record holder Jeanne Calment. In July 2006, Bolden entered the list of the all time top ten oldest verified people. At the time of her death aged 116 years 118 days she was and still is as of August 2009 the eighth-oldest person ever documented (seventh-oldest if the questionable case of Japanese man Shigechiyo Izumi is discounted). In the 1900 U.S. Census, she is recorded as being nine years old and born in August 1890, and in the 1910 U.S. Census she is recorded as 19 years old, already married with a child. With the destruction of the Fayette County, Tennessee records in a 1925 fire, the family had guessed that she was born in 1891, but investigation proved she was a year older. When Bolden died, the Los Angeles based Gerontology Research Group and Guinness World Records named the successor of the title of the world's oldest living person as Emiliano Mercado del Toro of Puerto Rico, who held the title for a little over a month before dying at 115.